Tropical Medical Bureau surveyed over 3,000 students in Ireland to find out how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect their travel plans this year.
Out of the 3,683 students that took part in TMB’s survey, 96% had planned to travel in 2020 and 88% said their travel plans had been cancelled or postponed. That said, 56% of participants said that they will still travel before the end of 2020 if travel restrictions are eased. This figure is very encouraging with regards to the future of travel, showing that many students are still eager to jet off again soon, providing regulations allow them to do so.
One of the major topics of conversations amid the COVID-19 pandemic surrounds travel health. This survey also revealed the growing importance of travel health within the student population in Ireland with 93% of respondents saying that the current environment made them more conscious about travel health. This is a very positive number, suggesting more responsible and safer travel post-pandemic amongst the student population.
When considering travel health, one service that TMB now offer is an in-clinic antibody test which can indicate whether an individual has been previously infected with COVID-19. This test is recommended to those who wish to travel in the future, giving them peace of mind and making it safer for them to do so. The cost for this service is €80.
Antibody tests can be booked here.
Within this survey, students also revealed the types of trips that they had planned, the most common of which was a package holiday (45%), followed by backpacking (34%) and interrailing (12%). 10% of respondents had planned a working holiday, while 5% planned to study abroad and 3% had planned to volunteer. 20% had planned a solo trip, 54% a group trip and 26% had planned a singles trip.
Participants also disclosed the destinations they had planned to visit; Europe proved the most popular with 67% having planned a holiday here, followed by USA or Canada (15%), South East Asia (7%), Africa (3%), South America (3%) and other (4%).
The Tropical Medical Bureau is the leading travel medicine clinic in Ireland with clinics nationwide, specialising in providing the best information and medical care available for the international traveller.
For further information on vaccinations, health screenings and COVID-19 antibody tests please visit www.tmb.ie
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For further information please contact: Niamh Waters, email niamh@travelmedia.ie or call +353 86 049 2394. Interview opportunities available.